Weighted blanket for improved sleep health

Better rest ripples into better everything.

Many years ago I traveled with friends and stayed at their family’s home near Lake Lure outside of Asheville, North Carolina. In the guest room I experienced my first electric blanket. It was decadent. I’m cold-natured (if you practice herbalism, I have a cold constitution) and when it comes time to sleep I need socks, blankets, and I only consider a fan in the peak of summer. With electric blankets’ historical reputation as firestarters aside, I knew I could never buy myself one because I would never want to leave my bed. (What I liked about the one I had used was that it had a timer, so it kept me warm enough to fall asleep and turned off shortly after.)

I hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but I also felt a comfort and coziness from the particular weight of the electric blanket. Over the past few years though, research about weighted blankets and their availability have increased. When my mother-in-law passed away a few years ago, I was sleep-deprived managing my father-in-law’s care, home, and pets while still juggling my own life. I tried implementing different routines and products to stack the odds in my favor for as much nourishing sleep as possible. One of my investments then was a weighted blanket. That purchase had more of a calming effect than I expected and helped me get to sleep faster during that difficult time.

Now, about 3 years to the week following my mother-in-law’s death, THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY published an article citing more than a dozen studies showcasing the positive impacts weighted blankets have on sleep and our overall well-being. Improved sleep has a mushroom effect, in a way helping to regulate hormones, improve mental clarity and decision making, support immunity, reduce risks of certain diseases, and prevent poor job performance. These simple, affordable, easy-to-use items are now evidenced as powerful tools in a strategy for sleeping well. The article reports that weighted blanket nighttime use routinely shows:

• Improved moods

• Reduced anxiety

• Pain management

• Reduced reliance on medication

Disrupted sleep cycles are associated with higher rates of colorectal cancer, cognitive issues, and poor immunity, which could make one vulnerable to a virus or disease. I’m particularly sensitive when it comes to the latter—I almost always get a cold or infection if I routinely lose sleep. Before a recent trip to California I made sure to focus on quality sleep in the days before and during my trip. It made my travel experience better, I was more energized, and I fortunately didn’t bring home a cold.

Tips for choosing a weighted blanket:

1. Check the ingredients, just like food. Modern weighted blankets have various fillers: glass or ceramic beads, poly pellets, grains, steel balls, sand, beans, and more. These materials offer varying degrees of warmth, allergen potential, and noise. Check the filler content to make sure it’s not a material that would irritate you. If you’re crafty, you could also quilt or make your own weighted blanket, which would give you more control over the sourcing of all materials and fillers.

2. Target a percent of your body weight. A common recommendation is to choose a blanket that weighs approximately 10 percent of your total weight. If you’re comfortable with extra weight, opt for a heavier blanket. If you’re just trying it out, it may help to stick to the 10 percent target.

3. Get a duvet cover. As you may expect from the various fillers in weighted blankets, laundering them could be complicated. To keep the blanket clean, add a duvet cover. Personally, I use an organic cotton duvet cover. Whenever washing the cover, I leave the weighted blanket draped outside on the deck in the sun all day. (I’ve moved to a seasonal use of the weighted blanket, so mine is stored during the spring and summer. At the end of winter I’ll spray it with diluted white vinegar, let it dry out all day in the sun, and then store it in a zipped plastic storage bag.)

If you’re cozying up to better rest and missed my earlier post on the nutrient density of sleep, check it out to learn about incorporating time outdoors and selecting certain foods to optimize your sleep quality.